Feed roller for cutters



1942' E. w. SAIBERLICH FEED ROLLER FOR CUTTER S 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 20, 1939 5 f/KZ Fi-t'tmr'negs Feb. 3, 1942. E. WIISAIBERLICH 2,271,957

FEED ROLLER FOR CUTTERS 7 Filed Nov. 20, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lnventur' E.\M'5a1 herlrch Flttc rnega El i 42 Patented Feb. 3, 1942 FEED ROLLER FOR CUTTERS Erwin W. Saiberlich, Appleton, Wis., assignor to Fox River Tractor Company, Appleton, Wis.

Application November 20, 1939, Serial No. 305,261

1 Claim. (01. 146-118) This invention appertains to means for facilitating the feeding of materials of various characters into machines of different types, such as the feeding of fibrous or stalky material into cutting, shredding, or grinding machines, or into silo fillers, orinto combined cutters and blowers, etc.

Originally, all forage or similar materials were fed into any cutting, shredding, or grinding machines by hand. Later, such machines were supplied with feeding rollers to regulate the speed at which the material would go into the" machine, both forcing in and keeping the material from going too'fast. Next, these rolls were aided by a conveyor of some kind. Very often, the endless conveyor would not properly feed the material to the rolls, and where the material was porated therewith, parts of the machine being particularly loose, fiuify, bushy, or matted into fiat flakes, the same would not settle onto the conveyor sufiiciently to be carried on into contact with the more or less restricted area of the rolls. 7

Some attempts of various characters have been made, such as power-driven paddle wheels'or reels, located above the conveyor for aiding the conveyor in carrying the material to the rolls. All of these devices, with which I am familiar, are crude, expensive, and of a highly complicated order, and use considerable power from the machine. Also, the paddle wheels or reels had a tendency to overfeed the machine, and the power-driven paddle wheels or reels were a great hazard to the operator, and'severe accidents often occurred.

It is, therefore, one of the primary objects of my invention to provide an exceptionally simple, durable, and inexpensive device for effectively holding th material down on the conveyor, whereby the material can be properly engaged by the conveyor and fed to the rolls.

Another salient object of my invention is to provide a device of a simple wheel construction, which will effectively roll over and follow the material irrespective of the character and thickness of the material, and thereby insure the proper feeding of the material to the rolls.

Another important object of my invention is the provision of a rubber-tired wheel, which simulates the appearance of an ordinary automobile wheel, for rolling over the material and holding the material down without being powerdriven, whereby danger to the operator is reduced to a minimum.

A still further important object of my invention is the provision of a freely rotatable rubher-tired wheel arranged well in advance of the shown broken away.

Figure 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary, detail, perspective view showinga part of the blower and cutting machine with my attachment applied thereto, the machine being shown in its unloaded condition.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary, longitudinal, sectional view through the machine, taken on the line 33 of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 4 is a transverse, sectional view taken on the line 44 of Figure 3, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawings in detail, wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the letter B generally indicates a combined cutting machine and blower, and A my novel attachment therefor.

While I have shown my attachment A applied to a combined cutting machine and blower B, it is to be understood that the same can be incorporated with various characters of machines, as has been pointed out in the objects of the specification. I v

As illustrated, the machine B includes a longitudinally extending body or bed ID, over which travels the upper run of a power-driven endless conveyor l I. The conveyor II is adapted to carry the material to be cut to the cutting mechanism (not shown), and feeding rolls of any preferred type (not shown) can also be provided.

. for receiving the material from the cutter.

As stated, it often happens that the material (indicated by the reference character I4 in Figure 1) will not settle down onto the conveyor,

and, hence, the conveyor cannot carry the material to the reel l2, the feeding rolls, and the cutter.

In accordance with my invention, I provide the simple attachment A, which can be readily associated with any type of cutting, grinding, or shredding machine, and which can take the place of the complicated power-driven feeding paddle wheel or reel, where such reel is used.

The attachment A simulates the appearance of a rubber-tired automobile wheel, and, hence, is of considerable diameter and circumference, but of a relatively narrow width. Thus, the attachment A includes the disc-shaped body l5 having the axial hub IS. The disc-shaped body l5 carries a rim I! for the reception of a pneumatic tire l8. This tire l8 need not necessarily be of the pneumatic type, although such is preferred, and, obviously, the same can be made of solid rubber, or the tire can be provided with a casing and filled with cushioning material, such as sponge rubber. Extending forwardly from the hood l9 which covers the reel l2, the feed rolls and the cutter, is the swinging bracket arm 20. The outer end of the bracket arm has formed thereon the laterally extending stub shaft or spindle 2i, which extends through the hub I6 of the wheel. Any preferred means 22 is provided for holding the wheel on the spindle, and, hence, the wheel is mounted for free turning movement on the spindle. It is also apparent that any antifriction means, such as roller bearings or ball bearings, can be used between the hub and the spindle. The inner end of the bracket arm 20 has formed thereon the right-angulajrly extending hinge pin 23, which is mounted for swinging movement in 'a hinge barrel 24. This barrel 24 is riveted or otherwise firmly secured to the hood I9 at the proper point.

The wheel extends over the body ID of the machine and well over an intermediate part of the endless conveyor II, and the weight of the wheel holds the same down on the conveyor or the material placed upon the conveyor.

In operation of my attachment, the material is placed pon the conveyor II in the ordinary way, and the wheel will ride over the material, irrespective of the character or thickness thereof, and effectively push down and hold the material against the conveyor, whereby the conveyor can easily and properly carry the material to the paddle wheel l2 and the rolls for the cutter. Obviously, the wheel can swing up and down, as the thickness of the load decreases or increases, due to the connection of the swinging arm 20 with the machine B.

From the foregoing description, it can be seen that I have provided a device of an exceptionally simple design, which eflectively reduces the number of working parts over the ordinary powerdriven paddle wheel or reel. My device also eliminates the use of power and the consequent danger to the operator.

Changes in details may be made without departing from the spirit or the scope of my invention, but what I claim as new is:

The combination with a feed cutter machine including an endless conveyor and a feed paddle roll located above the conveyor, of an attachment for holding material down against the conveyor comprising, a bracket mounted upon the machine for swinging movement in a vertical plane above the conveyor, said bracket having a wheel spindle on its lower and extending transversely of the conveyor and parallel thereto, a material holding wheel arranged in advance of the feed paddle roll and having a considerably greater diameter than the paddle roll and extending above and below the paddle roll, including a hub freely rotatably on the spindle and a rim, and a rubber tire on said rim adapted to rest on said conveyor for engaging material on the conveyor, said wheel and tire having a greater diameter than their width and being of a considerably less width than said conveyor and paddle roll and disposed above the central portion of the conveyor only for engaging an intermediate part of the material carried by the conveyor.

ERWIN W. SAIBE'RLICH. 

